Curse Words In The Bible

GOD HIMSELF “called people names”, CUSSED, CURSED, SWORE OATHS, and we are supposed to be LIKE JESUS (who IS GOD) … BUT yet we are NOT to do those SAME things? I think so many people DO NOT UNDERSTAND the Bible!

Somewhere along the line, Christians took the biblical commands against “perverse language” and “corrupt communication” and equated that with the Seven Words You Can’t Say On The Radio. In fact, those Seven Words seem to have taken on an almost mystical quality among Christian youth, with code words and substitutions being employed (“the b-word,” “the f-bomb”). I remember in youth group once I got in trouble for even spelling a curse word out.

We’ve talked about this before. I remain convinced that verbal practices such as gossip, slander, tearing-down-of-one-another, sowing discord–those practices far better fit the description of “perverse language” than what modern Christianity considers “profanity.” You can destroy someone with your tongue (cf. James 3:1-10), and you don’t need to use “profanity” to do it. While on the other hand, the only reason “shit” (the Saxon-based word) is profane and “excrement” (the Latin-based word) is not is usage–there…